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My Lord's Story: Marcus Trescothick

Something you'll never forget

Playing for England in a Test match at Lord’s was the biggest thing for me.

Scoring five hundreds in five years at the Home of Cricket is something you’ll never forget.

I’d say the most special was the Test hundred versus Sri Lanka in 2006, which would prove to be my last for England.

Marcus Trescothick sitting by the Lord's Honours Boards

A few months before that match, I was away in India where I had to return home because of issues with my mental health.

If I’m honest, I still had doubts whether I’d even play again.

Returning home and then playing again for Somerset was a massive time for me. I’d go as far to say that the following summer was a pivotal moment in my career.

"Biggest challenge I had was to kid myself that I was all OK"

It was my chance to prove to people that I was still in a good frame of mind to play but I still had doubts whether I'd even play again.

I was constantly dealing with things away from the game and the biggest challenge was to kid myself that I was all OK.

Marcus Trescothick during England's tour of India

I still managed to put that aside and went and got some runs for Somerset, before returning to the England set-up.

There’s no doubt that the pressure goes up another level when you play for your country.

But to go back to Lord’s, a place I hold in such high regard for what it is, was another opportunity for me to concentrate on my game.

Marcus Trescothick in the dressing rooms during an England Test match.

Opening the batting in that Sri Lanka Test, I remember facing the legend Muttiah Muralitharan and players like him which made it even more special.

I was probably out twice LBW, and if DRS was around, I would have definitely been long gone, but I suppose luck was on my side that day!

Going to Tea on Day One, I was on 90 and was so nervous about being so close to that milestone.

"I felt like the king of the world"

I wanted to put to bed the negative chat that surrounded me and I was determined to achieve something that I thought might have gone.

When the moment came, it was relief more than anything else.

It proved that I was still good enough to do this and could cope with the problems.

I didn’t know what was to come, but when I raised my bat towards the Pavilion, I felt like the king of the world.

Marcus Trescothick celebrates a century at Lord's.

What made it even more special is that you fought so much – demons, oppositions and questions you asked yourself.

And then suddenly you get a century at the Home of Cricket and the world feels so differently.

Marcus Trescothick walks across the Lord's outfield in 2019.

It was the start of a new chapter and coming back from India felt like a distant past.

Little did I know the pressures would begin again the following Winter and that this was going to be my last Test hundred.

However, looking back, another spot on the Honours Boards was not a bad way to bow out from international cricket.

My name is Marcus Trescothick and this is my Lord’s Story.

My Lord's Story